Cikana State Fish Hatchery is located in Morgan County near Martinsville. The hatchery is divided into two units. The north unit is off State Road 37, one mile north of State Road 44. The east unit (main unit) is off State Road 44, one mile east of State Road 37.

HISTORY

The name Cikana (si-kay-na) was derived from an Indian word meaning bass. The hatchery is composed of two separate properties and was purchased by the state in 1966 from Grassyforks Fisheries Inc., a major goldfish producer. The hatchery was acquired during a time when new public fishing waters were being created around the state in the form of reservoirs and impoundments. A centrally located hatchery was needed to boost production of warm-water species such as bass, bluegill and channel catfish. At the time of purchase, the hatchery had 105 ponds (29.5 acres of water) however, only 40 percent held water.

During the late l960s and early 1970s, extensive renovations occurred, including enlarging the ponds, strengthening levees, installing basins, repairing wells and constructing offices and a culture building. By 1975, the east and north units were in full production.

THE EAST UNIT

This 78-acre area contains 22 earthen ponds ranging from three-tenths to 1.7 acres in size. The water surface area totals almost 21 acres. Each pond slopes and drains into its own basin. Four wells on the property supply water to the ponds and a 10,000-gallon reservoir tank that feeds the culture building. The water supplied has a constant temperature of 54 degrees. The reservoir tank may also be filled with pond water through a submersible pump located in pond 21.

The culture building contains 16 rearing tanks and two jar batteries that are used for egg incubation. It also houses a lab, wood shop, crew quarters and hatchery office.

Two other buildings on the east unit are a service building and a small barn with a backup generator. The service building has a two-bay garage and headquarters for the supervisor of hatcheries and the district fish management biologist. Overlooking the property from the south is the property manager’s residence.

THE NORTH UNIT

This 40-acre property contains 13 earthen ponds ranging in size from three-tenths to nine-tenths of an acre. The water surface totals 7.4 acres. A well supplies water to all the ponds except pond number one, which is spring-fed. Pond one drains into pond two through an overflow pipe, while ponds two through seven drain into a common basin. All other ponds have separate drain basins. Buildings on this area include the assistant manager’s residence, a barn and a pole building.

PRODUCTION

Cikana Fish Hatchery is a warm-water hatchery using modern intensive and extensive fish culture techniques. Intensive culture carried out in the hatchery building is based on adjusting environmental controls to produce the maximum number of fish per unit. Extensive fish culture in the rearing ponds is essentially a simulation of nature with control over the number of fish per pond and the food source.

Using a water source such as well water makes fertilizing necessary to produce a sufficient amount of zooplankton, or microscopic animals, needed for food by small fish. Additional food sources include commercial fish food and hatchery-raised forage fish such as fathead minnows and goldfish.

The primary species raised at Cikana include walleye, saugeye (a hybrid cross between a female walleye and male sauger), channel catfish and smallmouth bass.